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4 - numbers

1 through 19

You just have to memorize numbers 1 through 19:

numberfrench
1un
2deux
3trois
4quattre
5cinq
6six
7sept
8huit
9neuf
10dix
11onze
12douze
13treize
14quatorze
15quinze
16seize
17dix-sept
18dix-huit
19dix-neuf

20 and 29

After that, you just have a general rule exactly like spanish, where the tens place has its own word, and then you just combine it with the ones digit number you already know. This familiar pattern is for numbers 20-69.

Here are the tens places:

numberfrench
20vingt
30trente
40quarante
50cinquante
60soixante

For example, this is how you write 20 - 29:

numberfrench
20vingt
21vingt et un
22vingt-deux
23vingt-trois
24vingt-quattre
25vingt-cinq
26vingt-six
27vingt-sept
28vingt-huit
29vingt-neuf

This pattern continues for 30-69.

70 and 79

Instead of saying 70 as “septante”, france says it as “60 + 10”, or “soixante-dix”. Then if you want to say something like 71, you say it as “60 + 11”

numberfrench
70soixante-dix
71soixante et onze
72soixante-douze
73soixante-treize
74soixante-quatorze
75soixante-quinze
76soixante-seize
77soixante-dix-sept
78soixante-dix-huit
79soixante-dix-neuf

80 and 90

To say something like 80, instead of “octante”, you say “4 20s”, which makes for “quatre-vingts”:

-So, basically, the word for 80 is just “quatre-vingts”

numberfrench
80quatre-vingts
81quatre-vingts-un
82quatre-vingts-deux
83quatre-vingts-trois
84quatre-vingts-quatre
85quatre-vingts-cinq
86quatre-vingts-six
87quatre-vingts-sept
88quatre-vingts-huit
89quatre-vingts-neuf

Instead of “nonante”, saying 90 is basically just “80 + 10”, following the exact same pattern as 70. So 90 in french is “quatre-vingts-dix”

numberfrench
90quatre-vingts-dix
91quatre-vingts-onze
92quatre-vingts-douze
93quatre-vingts-treize
94quatre-vingts-quatorze
95quatre-vingts-quinze
96quatre-vingts-seize
97quatre-vingts-dix-sept
98quatre-vingts-dix-huit
99quatre-vingts-dix-neuf

100 and up

Once you reach 100, you’re back to a familiar pattern which follows the exact same pattern as spanish.

Here are the next big units of numbers:

numberfrench
100cent
1000mille
1,000,000million

You just combine them with other numbers, like two say 200, you just say “2” and then “100”, giving you “deux cent”

french numbers table